Here’s a list of 180 money saving tips that can turn your financial life around 180 degrees. These are things that I have learned while reading blogs or other books. I’ve tried to provide links to blog posts and other articles that elaborate more on the tip. This was a fun exercise. While I personally don’t practice every single tip listed, it was a good way to find out how I can do better on saving money.

Automobile/Transportation

Wash and vacuum your car at home.

Buy a used car. New cars drop significantly in value as soon as you drive off the lot.

Don’t buy prepackaged cheese or meat. Go to the deli and have them slice it for you. You can get more for you money.

Collect vegetable scraps in a bag in the freezer. As soon as it’s full, make a soup out of them.

Buy whole roasted chickens. When you have used all the meat, throw the bones into a soup.

Housing

House sit. Older affluent couples often leave their house for months at a time for vacations and need someone to watch it while they’re gone. Not only can you get free rent, you might get some extra cash.

Become live in help. Some older people need help around the house, someone to cook meals for them, or just someone to talk to. You can live rent free this way.

Household

Buy furniture at a consignment store.

If you need a tool, see if you can borrow it from someone before you go out and buy it.

Don’t throw away “dead” batteries. Remove them from your radio and use them in quartz clocks. These clocks take such a small amount of power that batteries too weak to run anything else may have enough power to run a clock for a while.

Wash and reuse plastic bags.

Clean your own carpets. You can rent carpet cleaning machines for about $10.

Health Care

If you take a prescription medication on a regular basis, ask your doctor to write a three month prescription. Instead of paying three co-pays, you only pay one.

Go to the dentist at your local dental school. Students need people to practice on. You can get all your dental needs fulfilled at a reduced cost.

If your doctor gives you a prescription, ask if he has samples that he could give you.

Travel

Plan trips where you have friends and family. You might be able to score free room and board.

Go camping.

Stay at a college dorm room when traveling. Many universities rent out dorm rooms at a decent price during the summer.

Book your flights and cruises way in advance. You can get lower prices.

Always negotiate hotel room prices. Hotel rooms are like highly perishable food: if they’re not used that day, they’re wasted. You can almost always get a better deal just by asking, but do it with a nice smile face-to-face when you check in, or with friendly calls direct to the hotels you’re considering. It won’t work if you just call national 800 numbers, because they can’t negotiate. If your flight is overbooked and the airline offers a voucher if you take a later flight, take it.

Avoid renting a car at the airport. You’ll find more competitive rates, plus avoid extra surcharges at car rental agencies away from the convenience of the airport.

Time your stay for best hotel deals. Plan the timing of your stay according to the type of place you visit. Hotels in cities are usually cheaper on the weekends, when business travelers aren’t staying there, but hotels in resort areas or other places that are popular with leisure travelers are often cheaper during the week

Tourist spots sell everything from film — to capture those special moments — to sunscreen, bottled water and aspirin for prolonging your fun, at a higher cost. Purchase these items before and save.

Travel after peak season.This might not be an option if you have school-age children. But families with infants and toddlers can take advantage of discounted rates by traveling in the fall.

Learn the art of the re-gift. If you get something that you don’t like, keep it and give it to someone else later. However be careful to keep track of who gave you what. You don’t want to give a gift back to somebody.

Can you think of any more? Add to the conversation!If you enjoyed this post, then make sure to subscribe to my RSS Feed.

Featured Resources

A great way to avoid spending extra Money is by avoiding Credit Card Offers that have a high Interest Rate. When you signup with a new Credit company be sure to check their APR rates and find out if a free Balance Transfer option can help you save money.
[tags]saving, frugality, personal finance, clothing, food, cars, beauty, health care [/tags]